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High Stakes Poker has turned out to be one of the more popular televised poker shows, with fans including casual players as well as online rounders. The show’s 6th season kicked off yesterday on the Game Show Network in the US, with the episode sporadically available at PokerTube.com (users keep posting the video from the show only to have it yanked when the copyright owners complain and have it removed.)

High Stakes Poker features some of the world’s most famous poker players battling it out in a high stakes cash game, with players such as Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, and Patrik Antonius making regular appearances. The lineup changes form week to week as some players sit out and others are added, and also includes other celebrities and wealthy players from time to time such as Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberte and Simpsons producer Sam Simon.

Season 6 of High Stakes Poker got off to a bang, featuring a lineup of Dario Minieri, Andreas Hoivold, Gus Hansen, Phil Hellmuth, Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and Antonio Esfiandari. As far as who the big winner was, well, we won’t ruin that surprise for you. Let’s just say it was NOT Phil Hellmuth (surprise surprise).

While the bwin Team put in a very solid result at the 2010 Aussie Millions (cashing for well over AUD $250,000 collectively) the final table of a main event remained elusive. As far as the players who did survive to make the final table, it was Aussie native Tyron Krost who emerged the winner, taking down AUD $2 million for his victory.

Krost survived a tough final table that included well-known pros Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi and Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. Krost busted Mizzi in 3rd place when his AK outran Mizzi’s pocket sevens, then would dispatch Frederik Jensen to claim the title when they both flopped top pair but Krost held a bigger kicker. Krost has been playing poker for a few years and has two small WSOP cashes to his name, but this was by far the biggest win of his poker career.

Below are the final standings and their winnings, all in AUD:

1st Place: Tyron Krost – $2,000,000
2nd Place: Frederik Jensen – $1,100,000
3rd Place: Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi – $715,000
4th Place: Kosta Varoxis – $450,000
5th Place: Peter Jetten – $350,000
6th Place: Steve Friedlander – $250,000
7th Place: Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad – $175,000
8th Place: Stephen Shelly – $125,000

Legislators who love to only talk about the negative aspects of online gaming (we’re looking at you, Senator Kyl) should look away from their monitors, as we’re about to *gasp* talk about the amazing work the online poker community has done to donate money to Haiti.

For a bunch of low-life degenerate that “click a mouse and lose the house”, raising $1.5 million (and counting) for the Haiti earthquake survivors is a pretty amazing feat, especially in such a short time period. It’s also important to note that the average donation was $15, with over 50,000 online poker players contributing money, so this isn’t an isolated case of some high-roller donating a big chunk of change. That total figure also includes only direct donations via online sites, and doesn’t count any private donations made by poker players to organizations such as the Red Cross or Salvation Army or any other number of non-profits involved in relief efforts.

As pointed out by the PPA, too, this isn’t the first time the poker community has come together to raise money for those in need. Aside from major efforts for disasters such as what struck Haiti, online sites have been very accommodating in general in setting up charity tournaments and other fundraisers in the past for individuals as well, including those battling cancer and for establishing foundations for police officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty.

Poker fans (and especially Liv Boeree fans) can rejoice, as a new interview and photos of her just came out in MAXIM, where she discusses poker, playing the guitar, and sundry other topics.

Lest you think she’s just there for the eye candy, Boeree has over $225,000 in tournament winnings (including two WSOP cashes), and has been the TV presenter and journalist for Gutshot TV, as well as the host of Challenge TV’s coverage of the EPT, and has written columns for “Bluff Europe” and been featured in “Gambling Online”, “World Poker Tour” and “Online Gambler” magazines.

Not that we have anything against eye candy, of course.

We’ve spent some time on the bwin podcasts talking about the legal situation for poker in the US and the impact of the UIGEA, and US Senator Jon Kyl’s name features prominently in those discussions, as he was one of the primary Republicans responsible for ramming the UIGEA down everyone’s throat (despite most Americans not supporting it or even kowing what it is).

It seems Mr. Kyl is losing what few fans he has, even among conservative Republicans such as himself, as this lengthy condemnation appeared recently at Breitbart.com. Some highlights include:

“As there are a number of areas where the conservative movement takes issues with administration objectives, this is a target-rich environment. A strong stand here could show America what the Republican Party stands for and what the party will fight for. So, is Kyl standing up for improvements in the health care bill, reduced federal spending, or limits on federal power? No, he is not. Sadly, Sen. Kyl is wasting this powerful, one-shot weapon to register his dissatisfaction with the administration’s granting of a delay in implementing Internet poker and gaming-related financial regulations — a delay that was requested by his fellow Republicans.”

“The bottom line is that UIGEA is completely unworkable and unenforceable. Many traditionally conservative organizations agree that the act needs to be fixed. These groups include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, many financial institutions and credit unions, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. As a result of the many problems with UIGEA, twenty-one Republican lawmakers wrote to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to ask him to delay implementation of the regulations that enact key provisions of the law for six months. Included in this group are Senator Mitch McConnell, the entire Kentucky Congressional delegation, Rep. Peter King, and Rep. Ron Paul. Only two wrote in support of UIGEA — Sen. Kyl and the hapless Rep. Spencer Bachus.”

“Additionally, not so many Americans even see poker as a values issue these days. Every state but Utah and Hawaii has legalized some gaming. Poker is a very popular game on television as well as at kitchen tables and computer screens in homes of many everyday Americans. Poker players have even organized themselves. The Poker Players Alliance, chaired by former GOP Senator Alfonse D’Amato, boasts a membership of over one million. This group is active in mobilizing its membership and has a strong presence on Capitol Hill.”